WeStore Boxes Ltd., a U.K.-based startup business specializing in valet self-storage services, has collaborated with design students from Brunel University in Uxbridge, England, to create an exhibition of sculptures made from cardboard moving boxes. WeStore is hopeful the project will attract potential investors, company officials said in a press release.

Student sculptures include a birdcage, coffee table, chandelier, jukebox, rocking horse, turntable, turtle, typewriter and other household items.

“It’s no secret storage isn’t exciting,” said Henry Villiers, WeStore CEO. “The truth is that people care much more how they’re going to use the space than how they’re going to clear it. That's why we’ve challenged students to think outside of the box by imagining what they could do with the space.”

WeStore launched last November behind investment money from players connected to London’s tech startup community and SEKO Logistics, a global provider of supply-chain solutions that specializes in transportation, logistics, forwarding and warehousing. Similar to other valet-storage businesses, WeStore targets consumers and small businesses using a per-box fee strategy and pickup and delivery services.

By Kay Schaefer

Boat and RV storage has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. One reason is many homeowners associations and cities have restrictions on what property owners can park in their carport, yard, driveway or street. In some areas, there’s very limited parking for recreational vehicles.

To accommodate these parking needs, some self-storage operators offer outdoor spaces for tenants to store automobiles, boats, motorcycles and RVs. Some even choose to specialize in this type of storage and are very successful in catering to this niche.

However, there are unique exposures to consider when purchasing insurance to protect this kind of business. Let’s explore the insurance coverages you need and related concerns to address.

Type of Storage

The type of storage you offer will affect your level of risk. Open-lot storage or open-sided buildings present additional liability exposure due to the lower level of protection and security these spaces provide compared to fully enclosed units. These are some items to consider:

• Are the spaces visible from the front office or checked on a regular basis?
• Is the storage area fenced with an access keypad, or is there some other means to monitor people entering and leaving the area?
• Are there surveillance cameras covering the storage area?
• What is the security for large and expensive vehicles?
• Is ownership of the vehicle verified and documented as part of the rental process?

Services and Amenities

Some boat/RV-storage operators offer add-on services to their customers that create additional liability. For example, if you offer to move vehicles for customers, you take on temporary custody and operational control of those vehicles, which exposes you to an increased risk of liability for loss of or damage to customers’ property. Most self-storage insurance policies exclude damage to tenant property. An additional type of insurance, known as garage-keeper’s liability, can provide coverage for this risk.

A boat/RV-storage operator might also offer a waste dumpsite for customer use, which adds exposure to pollution liability. The waste entering the dump station is often hazardous. A standard self-storage insurance policy may provide no or very limited coverage for this exposure. Fortunately, you can purchase a separate pollution-liability policy to protect your business. There’s another reason to consider a pollution-liability policy: Even if you don’t provide a dump station, boats and RVs can drip many hazardous fluids onto the ground. A typical self-storage insurance policy provides limited pollution coverage that may require a covered peril, such as a fire or vandalism, to occur before coverage is triggered. If hazardous materials are simply leaking onto your property, there may be no or insufficient coverage in your standard policy to cover the cost of clean-up.

Property Values

The value of a stored boat or RV is often much higher than that of personal property typically stored in a self-storage unit. In fact, it can easily exceed $100,000. Your lease or lease addendum should address this potential increased value. It’s even more important that these customers have their own insurance on their stored vehicles.

The higher value should also be considered when you purchase coverage for customers’ goods legal liability and sale and disposal liability. Could an event cause damage or destruction to more than one stored vehicle? Of course! A fire or tornado could create a catastrophic event. It’s not only the facility operator’s responsibility to choose a sufficient limit for customers’ goods legal liability but to consider the value of stored vehicles and the worst-case scenario. This will ensure the purchase of adequate limits.

Boat/RV-storage operators should also have a good understanding of their state lien laws and procedures, especially when a tenant defaults on rent. Eviction substantially increases your liability exposure. Make sure you purchase adequate limits for your sale and disposal liability coverage.

There are unique exposures to consider when you provide storage space for boats and RVs. Your best consultant is your insurance agent. He can advise you on coverage and limits to secure your operation, considering your insurance policy and the services you provide.

Kay Schaefer is the senior underwriter for Deans & Homer, an insurance managing underwriter that has provided specialized coverage for the self-storage industry since 1974. Ms. Schaefer has more than 30 years of experience writing unique insurance coverage. For more information, call 800.847.9999; visit www.deanshomer.com.

The 42 properties managed by Storage Asset Management Inc. (SAM), a property-management and consulting firm serving the self-storage industry, recently raised $950 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation to support breast-cancer research and awareness. Through its fundraising campaign, “Pink with a Purpose,” SAM donated a portion of each packing-supply sale made at its stores during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“We are so grateful to our property managers for their work in promoting this initiative,” said Melissa Stiles, marketing manager, “We are really pleased with the results and the ability to make this donation to Susan G. Komen.”

Since its inception in 1982, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has become the largest and most widely-known breast-cancer organization in the United States, raising money for education, research, advocacy, health services and social-support programs in the U.S. It also works through partnerships in more than 50 countries.

Founded in 2010 and based in York, Pa., SAM is a property-management and consulting company that oversees storage facilities and three UPS Stores along the East Coast.

The William Warren Group (WWG), a privately held real estate company that operates the StorQuest Self Storage brand, has purchased four facilities in Texas from The Jenkins Organization Inc., a Houston-based self-storage owner, developer and management company. The properties, which will be rebranded under the StorQuest name, are:

• Brazos All Storage, 210 Gonyo Road, Richmond
• Gosling Road Self Storage, 23103 Gosling Road, Spring
• Plum Creek Self Storage, 5500 FM, Kyle
• Storit Self Storage, 420 Sartartia Road, Sugar Land

The Jenkins Organization currently has six self-storage development projects scheduled for completion in 2015 as well as several new acquisitions, two facilities under contract to purchase, and five new management contracts in Texas, according to a company press release. Formed in 1989, the company has an ownership and management portfolio of 45 self-storage properties comprising more than 3.5 million square feet in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

A Chicago man was ticketed for animal cruelty last week after he allegedly locked his ex-girlfriend’s kitten in a bin and left the container inside a self-storage unit at a Public Storage Inc. facility in St. Charles, Ill. Investigators said Perry D. Weingart, 58, told the woman in a text message that if she wanted the kitten it was at the storage facility, according to the source.

After the woman called police, an officer reportedly met her at the facility on East Main Street. It’s not clear from the news report if she had a key to the unit, but the woman and officer gained access and found a storage bin “with a fogged interior” after moving several items. The kitten was inside the container along with a small bag of dry cat food and an empty bowl. The bottom of the container was wet from water, the source reported.

The container had no air holes, and its lid was securely snapped in place, according to the police report. In addition, 10 to 15 pounds of items had been stacked on top of the bin. “The kitten was in a frantic state,” the police reported.

According to police, Weingart said he put the kitten in the storage unit on the morning of Nov. 3, the day it was rescued. Investigators didn’t say how long it took to recover the animal, the source reported.

Le Gallais Self Storage of Saint Helier, Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel, commemorated the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day by adding a poppy to each of the locks on its 470 storage units. The flower purchase supported the Jersey branch of the Poppy Appeal by the Royal British Legion. The charity supports men and women who’ve served in the British Armed Forces.

Robin Sappé, director of the storage facility, told the source the “poppy parade” was inspired by the field of poppies at the Tower of London. The company received positive reactions from its customers, who were impressed by the “novel commemoration,” Sappé said.

Red poppies became a symbol of remembrance for lost World War One soldiers after the battles that ensued in the poppy fields of Belgium and France. The flower was later adopted by the Royal British Legion as the symbol for its Poppy Appeal fundraising campaign.

The U.K. commemorates its soldiers on Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, with events including a special ceremony attended by the royal family, the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, and the Royal Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall. 

Le Gallais Self Storage is owned and operated by Le Gallais, a family-owned real estate firm that has been operating in Jersey for nearly 200 years.

EuroMiniStorage, a self-storage operator with two European locations, recently expanded its facility in Budapest, Hungary. The property now includes an additional 106 units measuring from 1 to 6 square meters each, according to the source.

The company invested €100,000 in the facility after maintaining an occupancy of 95 percent over a long duration, the source reported. Built in 2010, the Budapest facility has a gross area of 7,800 square meters on three floors. It contains more than 1,000 storage units representing 5,800 square meters of leasable area.

Founded by a group of Canadian investors, EuroMiniStorage also operates a self-storage property in Bucharest, Romania. According to a source, it’s the largest storage company in both countries, and the first to offer large-scale, purpose-built facilities in the two cities.

EuroMiniStorage markets itself as the company that helps people “reclaim their living space” and promotes itself through a spoof of a famous Heineken ad, among other methods, according to the source. Its facilities have received interest from national business media, which covered the business as a “modern business idea.” The company is also involved in helping Romanian NGOs (non-governmental organizations), which are non-profit, voluntary citizens' groups that are organized on a local, national or international level.

Indiana self-storage operator Access Storage Now is building a new facility in Newburgh, Ind. The property at 3644 State Route 261 will encompass 72,000 square feet of storage space in 178 units. Slated to open in the spring, it will include traditional and temperature-controlled units in various sizes, according to the source.

The property will feature a 24-hour self-service rental and payment kiosk, extended phone hours for customer support, and a security gate. Additional services include online billpay and account management.

Access Storage Now is headquartered in Ferdinand, Ind. The company operates eight facilities in Corydon, Dale, Ferdinand, Huntingburg and Jasper.

LoveSpace, a U.K.-based startup business specializing in valet self-storage services, has partnered with Kabbee, a London-based taxi-comparison and booking application for mobile devices. LoveSpace will be included in a new loyalty feature of the app called Kabbee Treats, which will reward regular users of the app with deals on select goods and services, according to a press release.

The loyalty program will have tiered bronze, silver and gold levels based on how much users have traveled using the app during a three-month period.

“We are delighted to be partnering with LoveSpace, whose unique service will give Kabbee’s 500,000-plus users unrivaled access to a first-class service at an affordable price, providing them with tangible benefits that are very relevant for city living,” said Cristina Astorri, marketing director for Kabbee.

“We’ll be helping Kabbee’s busy customers make the most of the space they live in by storing their things in the most convenient way,” added Steve Folwell, managing director of LoveSpace.

Other brands participating in the loyalty program include the hotel reservation website LateRooms.com and Naked Wines, an online wine retailer.

LoveSpace launched last November in partnership with property-management company Mainstay Group, which manages more than 35,000 buildings across the United Kingdom. The business targets consumers who don’t have enough items to fill a small storage unit but want to temporarily store some belongings. It enables customers to store by the bin and offers pickup and delivery services. To date, it has stored more than 20,000 boxes.